I had a professor at Wellesley who reminded my class to look up at the clouds more often. I’ve been making an effort to do that recently, and I have not regretted it. I have seen parts of trees that I have not seen before, something I never would have thought about. More than that, I have seen the trees but I have not looked at them, an incredibly important distinction I think. 

 

At Oxford, there are some famous trees. For example, the tree where Draco Malfoy was turned into a ferret in the fourth Harry Potter film, the trees surrounding the Christ Church meadows or Magdalen Deer Park. There are other trees that are not famous at all, but I like to think that every single tree I see has been special to someone at some point. It is not difficult to imagine, every building seeps with history, so why shouldn’t every tree be as well?

 

The groundsmen take such pride in the work they do, I have never seen fields or gardens taken care of with such love. Just the other day they were selling apple and pear juice created from the apples and pears of the Worcester Orchard, and someone told me they also make honey in the spring and summer.  

 

I’ve found things depicting nature and the environment depicted in a subtle appreciative light here. Like the portraits in our dining hall, many of the trees have signs on them explaining something about the tree as well as providing its name. It reminds me of the edible garden at Wellesley. There is not much fuss about them, but if you pause your hurried rush to lecture, or impatient walk home, then there is a treasure trove of things to learn. I had always seen the signs but I had never stopped to read them, until I decided to look up at the clouds more often.

 

So, look up at the clouds more often. Maybe we’ll be doing it at the same time.